Knitch Magazine

It was a typical frenzied day at the office when my telephone demanded my attention. I picked it up, expecting yet another salesperson to tell me about a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to establish a collaborative partnership that would help me achieve my strategic goals. This is sales talk for, “You have money. I want it.”

Instead what I heard was completely unexpected.

"Hello. This is Kristin Nicholas of -- "

"Of Kristin Nicholas!" I interjected with perhaps a little too much enthusiasm. I was surprised and honored to be contacted by an artist whose work I admire so much. For those of you who may not know her, Kristin Nicholas is the force behind Nashua's Julia yarns. Julia is a soft blend of wool, kid mohair and alpaca that comes in the most beautiful array of colors. I've worked with these yarns and find them terrific for knitting soft, comfy garments and also for felting.

Kristin is not only a renowned knitter and designer with several books under her belt, she's a respected fabric artist and painter. More than anything, she's known for her breath-taking color combinations that are rich, vibrant and celebratory of life and nature.

Kristin was calling me because she thought I might be interested in attending her upcoming Getting Stitched At The Farm seminar where they were going to be creating pillows with felted flowers . I was very interested in attending, but the event was taking place in Massachusetts in only nine days, and with my calendar booked solid until August of 2014, I was going to have to do some fancy footwork in order to make it there.

Photo right: Kristen's colorful display of handiwork.

Over the next several days I frantically did the homework assignment she gave to me (well, sort of) and I figured out a way to get from Toronto, Canada, where I would be going to visit family for a few days, to Leyden Glen Farm, someplace north of Hartford, CT.

You know, there are some places you can't get to from Toronto. Mars is one of them. And Hartford, CT is another. Sure, I had lots of options, which included flying from Toronto to Miami and then up to Hartford from there but I wasn't keen on traveling for two days to get to the east coast via the southern hemisphere. It turned out that the simplest route was from Buffalo, so my dearly beloved drove me from Toronto to Buffalo where I boarded a plane for Philadelphia. From there I flew to Hartford, where I rented a car and started heading north on I-91 to a town called Greenfield, MA. Well, I think it was north. I'm not exactly Lewis or Clark when it comes to North American expeditions. I spend a lot of time re-tracing my travels to find out where I made the wrong turn.

I arrived late on Friday afternoon at the nicest B&B you could ever hope to find, The House on the Hill. This renovated farm house, just outside of town, is perched on a rise amidst trees, flowers, and rolling hills. I'd called ahead earlier to find out if Donna, the hostess, could fit me in at so late a date.

Photo left: The House on the Hill offers comfort and hospitality.

"I'll find room for you," she promised. "Don't you worry. Do you have any dietary restrictions?" she asked.

I told her my doctor recently removed gluten from my diet. Gluten is what you make cakes out of. And pies. And cookies. Needless to say, I'm not dealing well with the sudden and unexpected loss of what has been my regular daily source of vitamins, minerals, sugar and chocolate for several decades now. I really miss my gluten.

"I can work with that," Donna assured me. "Is there anything else I need to know about you?"

"No," I told her. "I don't think my howling will disturb your other guests."

There was a long pause. I find I get a lot of long pauses when I speak to people on the telephone.

Anyway, when I got to The House on the Hill, Donna greeted me and showed me to a charming room on the first floor, looking out onto a garden that included flowers, some veggies, and raspberry bushes. I made a mental note to graze in the garden later -- when no one was looking. Raspberries, unlike raspberry pie, are not part of my restricted food group.

Photo right: Linda Pratt gathers fresh ingredients for our feast.

"The Library Room" I'd been assigned had a big walk-in closet, a sizeable bathroom and lots of books for me to explore. I found a recipe book from the 1940s that was created by a group of men in what seemed to be a bet of some sort with their wives. It had a terrific recipe for "Angel Pie" that required no flour, so I copied it down to try when I got home. I also found an old French text book that I enjoyed reading while sitting on the spacious, comfortable porch that surrounds two sides of the house. I've promised myself that someday I'll be able to speak French...and retire to Provence...or maybe Chicoutimi, Quebec.

Donna, the delightful proprietor of The House on the Hill, told me that she'd previously worked at Tiffany in New York. She married a French fellow, Alain, and they decided to move to Massachusetts where she opened her B&B. Donna appeared to be thriving in the friendly, community-minded countryside, enthusiastically telling me how the local people all support one another. The food she serves is grown locally, and even the bed I would be sleeping on was made by neighboring craftsmen. From her description of life in this little corner of Massachusetts, it's heaven.

Rolling hills. Trees. Nice people. Freshly grown foods. I wanted to stay there forever.

Later in the evening I was fortunate to share dinner with Linda Pratt of Westminster Fibers. Linda was the mastermind behind my visit: she's responsible for the marketing of Nashua fibers, and Kristin Nicholas works with her to promote the popular, and vibrant, Julia line. Linda drove us to China Gourmet a few minutes away in Greenfield where we enjoyed an excellent meal. The restaurant serves a tremendous variety of Chinese and Thai dishes, and it was hard to select from all their items. When we finished, Linda dropped me off back to the B&B while she continued to the farm. I planned to be up early the next morning to meet her at the seminar.

After a breakfast of fresh berries, I got into my car and traveled down the country road in search of a saw blade that had been painted blue and was now a sign for a blueberry farm. That sign was at the corner of the road that would take me to Leyden Glen Farm. As expected, I missed it, but I got to see some very pretty countryside before turning around to find my way along an almost hidden country road that turned yet a smaller hidden country road, and then into an even smaller country road that led to Kristin's farm. If you ever decide to get away from the world, this is the place to go!

Kristin's farmhouse is exactly what you'd expect to find in a picture book. It's absolutely perfect: a white, two storey farmhouse built in the 1750s, surrounded by gardens and a picket fence, guarded by two friendly dogs.

Photo left: Kristen's home is an 18th century farmhouse.

Now, being a city girl the first thing that caught my attention when I got out of the car was the sound of chickens. Yes. Real, live chickens! Did you know that chickens come in all sorts of different colors and sizes and feathers? Some were small, sleek and white. Others were big fluffy multi-colored confections that looked more like a bouquet of flowers than a critter. There were a couple of birds who I just knew had to be the roosters, not only because they sounded like the roosters I've heard in television commercials but because they strutted as if they owned the place. My Grandpa, who raised chickens long before I was born, used to use a phrase, "the cock of the walk" for anyone who thought they were a little more special than the rest of us. I'll be darned. Once I saw those roosters I knew exactly what Grandpa had meant.

I was a little late because of my detour, so I tore myself away from the chickens to enter Kristin's farmhouse where I was instantly enveloped by a swirling sea of unbridled creativity. Color and fabric was everywhere! Kristin has done an incredible job painting the walls of the farmhouse with flowers and birds and patterns that take you from California to The Casbah. The brightest, prettiest fabrics adorned couches, windows and chairs. Everywhere you looked was a delight for the eyes. I have never seen such an eclectic collection of design and decor in my life, and I realized just how dull my own home is with only a few bursts of colored pillows and window dressings.

There were several other knitters attending the event who, like me, were truly knocked out by our surroundings. It was a riot of glorious color blazing like a jewel in the countryside amidst pretty green fields, meadows of wildflowers and luxuriant forests.

The group for the "Flower Weekend" included three local ladies -- Diane, Cynthia and Debi -- plus Karin Strom of Interweave Publishing, and me. We were all excited to be there, and were especially thrilled that our caterers for the event were Linda Pratt and her delightful friend, Alice, who were already busy in the kitchen preparing a feast for our lunch.

Before we started our flower creation classes, seminar attendees were treated to a tour of the farm by Kristin's husband, Mark. We followed him and Kristin out into their nearby field where he spoke to us about their efforts to raise sheep in the New England countryside. Mark told us their flock currently consists of about 400 sheep of different breeds -- Romneys, Dorpers, Texels, Dorsets, Finn-crosses, and Rambouillet crosses. Mark and Kristin have been doing a lot of cross-breeding and say they're achieving good results. They have a Darwinian approach in that they want only the strongest to survive. They take care of sheep that are in need of help, but don't want to perpetuate any line that isn't able to thrive on its own.

We watched as the dogs herded the sheep toward us and into a comfortable shady area. The sheep are moved from field to field where they eat the grasses that are thick with sweet clover and they happily chomp on delicious wild rose bushes. As they do so, they're serving as nature's clean-up committee, keeping the fields tidy while their droppings provide nourishment to the soil. You can observe the entire cycle of nature in a single sheep! But you might not want to observe it too closely. Sheep aren't the nicest smelling critters on the planet.

Photo right: The sheep look healthy and happy in their pasture.

Mark told us that the sheep are being used for fleece and food. They spend their lives grazing in fields and enjoying the sunshine -- the way nature intended them to live -- before being butchered to be sold for consumption at local farmer's markets. Mark does his best to ward off their enemies -- parasites and predators -- although he told us that he's lost nine sheep this year, probably to a bear.

After our lesson in agriculture, we were escorted to Kristin's expansive new studio. Completed only a few weeks ago, this bright and airy addition to the farmhouse is perfect for her work and classes. While the walls are still bare, the floor was a psychedelic checkerboard of color. She'd used brightly colored tiles to add brilliance to an area that most of us choose to leave neutral. We found it energizing and inspiring, and it fit in well with the collection of gorgeous knitted pieces that was displayed throughout the room.

Photo left: The new studio offers Kristen a great place to work and teach.

We were all excited about beginning our projects, but first we were handed baskets and clippers and told to follow Kristin out into her cutting garden. Oh, my! This garden was bursting with the most glorious flowers: cleome, cosmos, celosia, coleus, sunflowers. There was an abundance to choose from! Our assignment was to select flowers and then create color palettes using the leaves and blossoms we selected.

If you ever wonder how to combine colors, this is a great way to do it. Mother Nature does not make mistakes with her paintbrush! Any combination you find in nature is going to absolutely perfect.

Photo right: Nashua Julia yarns create a naturally beautiful color pallet.

Before long, each of us had created a variety of palettes representing our inspirational flowers in Julia yarn colors. It was a fantastic exercise to get our creative juices flowing...right before being served a scrumptious meal prepared by Linda, Alice and their sous chef, Julia, Kristin's daughter.

Over lunch we got to know a bit more about one another, and we discussed how we'd prepared for the upcoming project: the creation of a pillow. I learned that this was Debi's fourth class with Kristin this year so she's benefited from a lot of terrific instruction. Debi came well prepared with a garden of felted flowers she'd created beforehand. Karen, Diane and Cynthia had signed up long before I did, so they were also very well prepared with the prettiest creations while I -- being strapped for time -- devised what I thought was an ingenious solution to my challenge to knit a lot of flowers and felt them before I arrived.

After I'd finished the pillow backing I was to bring along, I realized that I was not going to be able to complete my assignment on time. So instead of knitting individual flowers one by one, I knitted up big swatches of Nashua's Julia yarn in different colors and then I washed and dried them until I had what I thought was a pretty nice collection of felt from which I could cut out my flowers. Even Kristin agreed it was a pretty good Plan B for a last minute entry.

Throughout the afternoon, we chatted about knitting, designs, patterns, and yarns while we each created additional flowers for our pillow. I was delighted to have time to actually knit some flowers to use in addition to my pre-felted cut-outs, and I enjoyed watching the other ladies copy flower shapes with ingenious stitches they devised with help from our very clever instructor. It was a wonderful time to share with others who share a passion for fiber and color.

Photo left: Kristen teaches while Julia examines our work and Karin Strom ponders her next project.

In the early evening we packed up our supplies and headed outside for what was the first hay ride I've ever experienced. Remember...I was raised as a city girl. I'm not even sure what hay is made out of!

Well, if you love nature, this is a fantastic way to see it. Using his tractor, Mark pulled the hay wagon along the country roads, into the fields and up onto a hill where we enjoyed the most spectacular view of the mountains in the distance. The dogs rode along with us until they spied their friends, the sheep, on a nearby hill and decided they preferred their company to ours. Happily, they bolted off only to join us later when we returned to the farmhouse.

After a brief stop to pick -- and eat -- fresh blueberries we returned to a fantastic dinner of (dare I say it?) lamb. I have to admit it was delicious...nothing like the store-bought lamb you're used to finding at the supermarket. This was absolutely superb, a tribute to the farmer and the chef.

Debi, the lady who'd come with about a dozen beautiful flowers already prepared, mentioned that she was staying at the same B&B that I was in, but hadn't yet been there to check in. She wasn't entirely certain where it was, and asked if she could follow me there -- along the very dark and windy country roads. I cannot tell you how many times I was struck with the terror that not only had I overshot the destination, but that I was dragging this poor woman along with me...into the dark where we'd both be hopelessly lost.

I swear, it was a miracle that I found the sign to the B&B and got us both there without having to call for help!

The next morning, we were back at it early again. Linda and Alice had coffee awaiting us as we returned for another day of knitting, chatting and completing our pillows. Overnight, Kristin had felted flowers we created the day earlier. So now we set about the task of applying them to our pillows. This was great fun as Kristin helped us achieve the right balance and made suggestions on how to embroider using complementary colors to make our pieces look even better.

I was quite thrilled with what I'd done...even though I realized I need to do a little more work on my pillow backing so it will be more felted, and I regretted having chosen white as my background color. That just shows how truly dull I am. Perhaps I should knit a new one in a much livelier color. See how much I benefitted from Kristin's influence?

Photo right: Kristen and Mark after a fun hayride with their guests.

If you ever have the opportunity to Get Stitched on the Farm, I'd suggest you leap at the chance. It should be particularly fun this autumn when the air becomes crisp and the New England trees turn to brilliant hues of yellow and orange. There's a Color, Fair Isle and Steek Class on the weekend of October 2 and 3. Be sure to sign up for it if you can. And give Donna at The House on the Hill a call if you need a place to say. You'll be so glad you did!

Win a Kristin Nicholas Gift Package
worth over $100!

If you love the vivid colors of Julia yarn and the fantastic patterns by Kristin Nicholas, you'll want to enter the Knitch Magazine contest. The winner will receive an autographed copy of Kristin Knits plus enough Julia yarn to complete a project (12 skeins).

How? It's easy! Just visit Kristin's blog, Getting Stitched On the Farm to find the answer to our skill-testing question:

How many colors of Julia yarn can you find at Yarnmarket?
Then send an email with the answer to:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Entries must be received before midnight, October 31, 2010. A random drawing from all the correct answers will take place on November 3, 2010 and be announced on the Yarnmarket blog, Shear Bagatelle.

Be sure to visit Kristin Nicholas' website and her blog, Getting Stitched on the Farm to learn more about the designer and her yarns.